SUPER BOWL XLVIII: Gazette staff picks

The Gazette’s sports department expects the Broncos to run over the Seahawks. Here are the Gazette’s staff picks:

Matt Burglund: The Seahawks can contain Peyton Manning, but they can’t stop him. He has too many weapons, and he knows what the Seattle defense can do just as well as Richard Sherman, Earl Thomas and the rest of the Seahawks do. Plus, the Denver defense is better than most people think. Broncos, 27-13.

Tony Coccagna: Manning makes more plays than Wilson, and the Denver defense does enough to get by. Broncos, 24-17.

Dustin Filloy: In his third trip to the Super Bowl, a more experienced Peyton Manning won’t squander what could prove his last chance to earn a second ring. The Seahawks and 25-year-old quarterback Russell Wilson will climb the proverbial mountain again soon, but Super Bowl XLVIII will mark the day the soon-to-be 38-year-old Manning fortifies his storybook legacy. Broncos, 28-20.

Eli Nellis: The way Mike Holmgren and other departed members of the Seahawks organization whined in 2006, I hope Seattle never wins a Super Bowl, even with likable players like Richard Sherman. Peyton Manning will help my cause this time around. Broncos, 24-20.

Mirza Zukic: Yes, Carly, it’s true they say defense wins championships, which is why I was inclined to pick Seattle. But no NFL defense has ever dealt with an offense as good as Denver’s. Broncos, 24-23.

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Two nights after losing to the Eastern Conference’s worst team, the Phoenix Coyotes handled the best.

Zbynek Michalek scored against his former team, his first goal in 83 games, and the Coyotes became the first Pacific Division team to beat the Pittsburgh Penguins in regulation this season with a 3-1 victory on Saturday night.